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GENEWS ONLINE is the online edition of the official publication of The UPLB Genetics Society. The UPLB Genetics Society, also known as GeneSoc, is a duly recognized academic organization at UP Los Banos. The organization strives to promote and create awareness about the science of Genetics in the Philippines.

An image of the GMO called Golden Rice (Image taken from: www.gmwatch.org)

Researches
about genetically modifying an organism are still a recurring issue in our
society. Many anti-GMOs believe that these are unsafe for consumption yet
despite the criticisms, scientists still continue to breed and improve on new
crop varieties that will benefit the mankind.

In
genetic engineering, a desired gene from a DNA of a certain organism is
incorporated to the DNA of another organism. Unlike in conventional breeding,
genetic engineering can generate desirable crops in a more specific way and at
a faster pace. One promising genetically modified crop that is currently being
developed is the Golden rice.

The
development of the golden rice is due to the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency
among children worldwide. In the Philippines alone, about 2.1 million children
suffer from Vitamin A deficiency, as reported by Ocampo in 2017, which is a
manifestation of the poverty in the country. Although, many interventions have
also been put in place like: breastfeeding programs, Vitamin A supplementation
and food fortification. However, these interventions have been insufficient in combatting
Vitamin A deficiency. Indeed, there is a need to develop a sustainable solution
that would globally alleviate vitamin A deficiency.

Golden
rice, currently being developed by IRRI and PhilRice, is similar to other types of rice, except that it has two more genes that
have been added in its DNA. One gene came from a corn while the other one was
taken from a soil bacterium. These two genes are responsible in producing two
enzymes that complete the process for producing beta-carotene, something that is not present in other rice varieties.

According
to Dr. Steven Ehrlich in 2015, the beta-carotene is responsible for its
yellowish color. It is a compound that is also present in carrots, squash and
papaya. Beta-carotene, when taken up by the body, is converted to Vitamin A.
Any excess is simply excreted. Therefore, increasing the amounts of vitamin A
in rice would aid in alleviating vitamin A deficiency especially in
children worldwide.

Despite
Golden rice being a realistic, complementary solution in reducing Vitamin A
deficiency, many anti-GMO activists still vehemently oppose the continuation of
the Golden rice project as well as other GM crops.

Anti-GMOs
commonly argue that Golden rice is very unsafe to be ingested and can even have
long term effects on a person’s health. However, this is not true because based
on the study conducted by Tang, Qin,
Dolnikowski, Russell, & Grusak in 2009 it shows that the
beta-carotene in golden rice is the same beta-carotene present in carrots.
Another study by the Golden Rice Project validated that golden rice does not
contain compounds that can cause allergies or act as a toxin. Also, further
tests are still being done to determine the safety of Golden rice before it is
released to the public. It is therefore very presumptuous to say that it is
already unsafe when experiments are still unfinished.

But
assuming that Golden rice is unsafe, should we then throw out genetic
engineering and give up on the development of this technology? Remember, when
cars were first introduced in the market, many people feared that cars would be
unsafe and might explode since it carries gasoline. But engineers did not stop
on improving cars. Now, millions of people are using automobiles and have
benefitted from the progress made by improving and not giving up on something
that was initially perceived as unsafe.

Another
reason for their objection is the possibility of cross-pollination between
Golden rice and non-genetically modified (GM) rice. They feared that when this
happens, it could lead to the loss of biodiversity among the non-GM rice.

Scientists
working at Golden rice have already put up measures to prevent this. First, the
area where Golden rice plants have been planted are placed at a certain
distance away from non-GMs, making cross-pollination very unlikely. Also based
on PhilRice, cross-pollination only occurs when both GM and non-GM rice are
flowering at the same time; so, it is very easy to prevent this by planting the
crops at different times.

In
terms of practicality, Anti-GMOs argue that Golden rice does not produce enough
beta-carotene and that there are many other ways of obtaining Vitamin A like
eating Vitamin A rich foods instead of eating Golden rice.

First
of all, the current Golden rice has been improved to produce 20x more
beta-carotene than the initial oneas stated by Andy Coghlan in
2005. Also, eating Vitamin A rich diet is very far-fetched to poor families,
considering the fact that they cannot even afford to buy foods rich in Vitamin
A. With this, scientists developed it on rice to get sufficient Vitamin A since
rice is the most consumed staple crop in developing countries that would be
more accessible and affordable to poor families.

Another
objection that they have raised is that Golden rice might be used only for
commercialization where the big companies would get most of the economic gains.
To be fair enough, if Golden rice is indeed being commercialized, the
government must be asked to put measures in order to prohibit its sole use for
economic gain and not for humanitarian reasons. But is Golden rice really being
commercialized?

Golden
rice was initiated through the aid of the Rockefeller Foundation in 1982. When
the Golden rice was developed, the people involved in the project donated this technology to poor
countries like the Philippines that it may alleviate the problem of Vitamin A
deficiency. And currently, Golden rice is being developed by the Philippine
Rice Research Institute, a government organization and the International Rice
Research Institute, a non-profit organization.

Despite
these objections, Golden rice remains to be a very safe, viable, and practical
solution to solve the Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) crisis in poor countries as
evidence suggests. Golden rice is the penicillin of the future. When Alexander
Fleming made the very first antibiotic, millions of children were spared of
dying from bacterial infections. Similarly, with the introduction of Golden
rice, millions of children suffering from VAD could avoid the risks of getting
blind or infected.

There
may be fear, doubt and opposition to Golden rice being a GM crop, but it is a
technology worth considering and developing, especially now that we are in an
era of scientific advancements. It may still be not perfect (though there is no
technology that is), but it should still be kept and improved for the benefit
of the present and future generations.

The DNA Backbone

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About The UPLB Genetics Society

The UPLB Genetics Society, also known as GeneSoc, is a duly recognized academic organization in UPLB that was established in 1983. Through the years, the organization strives to promote and create awareness about the science of Genetics in the Philippines.